Local roots, digital connections: How Chicago’s small businesses are building with Solo

Kevin Woods, co-owner of The Pop-Up, organizes clothing on display in their Wicker Park boutique. Credit: Jesus J. Montero

As a community builder at Mozilla, I'm all about staying connected - whether that's producing community events to invite more people into our brand, or working directly with people to make sure our products are actually helping those who need them most. Recently, I had the chance to sit down with three amazing small business owners in Chicago to explore how Solo, Mozilla's AI-powered website builder, could help them expand their online presence. Solo is built to make creating websites easy, but these sessions were about more than that - they were about building new websites for these small business owners to share their stories and build stronger connections with their communities.

Each of these entrepreneurs had a unique vision for how they wanted to grow their business online. Here's how we worked together to bring their ideas to life.

Building a digital hub for a community of first-gen entrepreneursSoloist.ai/dishroulette showcases the many restaurants that DishRoulette Kitchen is supporting.

Jackson Flores runs DishRoulette Kitchen, an organization that supports first-generation business owners in Chicago's food scene. DRK already had a website, but they wanted to take things further. Instead of just focusing on DRK, we decided to create a digital hub that showcases the many restaurants they're helping - many of which didn't have their own websites.

We built a directory that brings these restaurants together in one space, making it easy for locals to discover new food spots and connect with the people behind the businesses. Working with Jackson was inspiring - her passion for uplifting first-gen entrepreneurs really shone through. The site we built reflects the amazing work DRK is doing in the community, giving more visibility to the businesses they support. You can check out DRK's Solo website here.

Creating a digital space for a multifaceted careerDanniMoore.com showcases Danielle Moore's multifaceted career, highlighting her work with Semicolon Books, Single Story Whiskey and her experience in museum and event curation.

Danielle Moore is the owner of Semicolon Books, an independent bookstore in Chicago with a strong community following. Danielle's work goes far beyond books - she's also spent 15 years as a museum curator and has recently launched her own whiskey brand. With all these ventures, Danielle needed a website that could tie everything together and present her full story in one cohesive place.

During our session, we built a personal website that allows her to showcase all sides of her career - from books to art to whiskey. Now, her community can see the full scope of her talent, with a site that reflects the many passions that drive her. For Danielle, it was about creating a digital home where her entire journey could come together, offering a complete picture of who she is and what she's building. You can check out Danielle's Solo website here.

Turning a long-delayed project into realityDigital Produce is The Pop-Up founder Kevin Woods' own streetwear brand.

Kevin is the founder of The Pop-Up, a streetwear business that curates unique pieces from independent brands. While his business is already up and running, he had been working on a new internal line called Digital Produce - a project he'd been passionate about but hadn't had the time to bring online. Between his full-time job, family, and running the business, creating a website for this new line kept getting delayed. When we sat down to work on it, it felt like the project finally started moving. In just an hour, we built a clean, functional site using Solo that showcases Kevin's designs, giving his community an easy way to explore his work. For Kevin, the goal was about finally bringing his vision to life after months of putting it off, and giving his brand the platform it deserved. You can check out Digital Produce's Solo website here.

Building connections, online and beyond

Equipping Jackson, Danielle and Kevin a powerful, free tool like Solo helped each of them find new ways to tell their stories and engage with their communities. With Solo, they've created digital spaces that have the potential to strengthen relationships, raise awareness and share their passions in ways they hadn't before.

Community has always been at the heart of Mozilla's products, from the early days of Firefox to the tools we're creating today. Our goal has always been to empower people to shape the internet in ways that reflect who they are and what matters to them. Solo is one part of that effort, giving small business owners the ability to take agency of their digital presence and build meaningful connections with the people around them.

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